Monday, March 25, 2013

Sound Localization and the Electronic Easter Egg Hunt

Available to purchase: JoJo & Friends Electronic Easter Egg Hunt by Ouaps Company

Hide one of the egg noise-making toys, from your child’s view somewhere in a room.

When beginning the Egg Hunt:

First, ask your child WHAT he hears.

Then, WHERE the sound is coming from.

You may want to begin by keeping the choices simple. For example, "Do you hear the sound near the windows or closer to the fireplace?"

Remind the child to listen first or else they will begin searching with their eyes!

To play this game, with the electronic Eggs, press the on/off button on the side and hide it. The egg then calls out phrases periodically like, "Yoo-hoo! I'm hiding! I'm over here! "

Once the toy is found, you can pop it apart to reveal the character inside, who will exclaim something like, "It's me, Maggie! You found me!

Sound Localization

The ability to localize sounds develops over time. The earlier your child has received his bilateral cochlear implants/hearing aids, the sooner he starts picking up sound cues and gains valuable experiences localizing sounds.

Tips For Children Learning to Locate Sound Sources

Using two different musical toys, hidden from the child’s view, locating one to the left of the child and one to the right side of the child. Then, make a sound with each instrument in varied sequence, ask your child to identify which instrument is on which side. You can do this with Mom's vs. Dad's voice as well.

At the dinner table or while playing games help your child locate who is speaking. Your entire family can help the child learn to locate and follow then natural flow of

conversation.

Playing hide-and-seek indoors (e.g. room or house), hiding yourself and calling out to your child to find you. This task may be varied by taking turns between hiding and searching.

Games in a group, such as “Blindman’s Buff ” or “I Spy” (with sounds), hand clapping games are ideal for practicing sound localization in a playful way.

Teach your child that is hard of hearing to be extra alert visually in crowds, walking near cars, crossing streets, riding bicycles, and in group games. Remind your child to look for traffic and not to depend on hearing oncoming vehicles. If your child rides a bicycle, consider rear-view mirrors to help him see traffic he might not hear.

HEREis a easy an experiential listening and
language craft that involves making

HUMPTY DUMPTY out of a yogurt container. My friend and colleague Dave Sindrey has offered a printable Humpty Dumpty Game that your children/students will love. Grab it HERE!

Dave Sindrey is a SLP and a Cert. Auditory-Verbal Therapist. Dave’s site is http://www.speechtree.ca/. He is the creator of the Listening Room, which provides hundreds of free activities for parents and professionals working with children who have hearing loss.

6. 101 FAQs about Auditory-Verbal Practice. It is an excellent resource edited by Warren Estabrooks, the President and CEO of WE Listen International. The book takes the reader on a journey through current theory, practice, and evidence-based outcomes. It offers knowledge, guidance, encouragement and hope for future generations of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, their families and professionals.